Health Policy 3400 Midterm – Key Concepts and Exam Review
What is 'policy'? - Answerbroad statement of goals, objectives and means that create
the framework for activity. Often takes the form of explicit written documents, but may
also be implicit or unwritten.
"...decisions taken by those with responsibility for a given policy area."
What is 'public policy'? - Answera course of action or inaction chosen by public
authorities to address a given problem. anything the government chooses to do or not.
What is 'health policy'? - Answercourses of action (and inaction) that affect the set of
institutions, organizations, services and funding arrangements of the health and health
care system.
• Policies that have to do with health
• Policies created by health agencies / organizations
• Can be both public and private
What is 'healthy public policy'? - AnswerPublic policies outside of the health sector
"characterized by an explicit concern for health and equity in all areas of policy and by
an accountability for health impact
______ is an activity that organizes or delivers a service or goods to achieve a policy's
objectives. - AnswerProgram
'Policy' vs. 'program' Example: - AnswerPolicy: To reduce # of overdoses and deaths
caused by opioids (e.g., fentanyl)
Program: Ontario Naloxone Program for Pharmacies (free Naloxone kits)
______ is the art or science concerned with guiding or influencing governmental policy -
AnswerPolitics
understanding the _______ of the policy process is arguably as important as
understanding how medicine improves health - AnswerPolitics
When was the Constitution Act? - Answer1867
What is the Constitution Act? - AnswerLaw passed by the British parliament that
created Canada (on Indigenous lands)
As a union, the law specifies the responsibilities of the national (federal) government
and the provinces and territories
,__________ divides authority among levels of government, and intentionally restricts
the powers of the central government - AnswerFederalism
Canada is a ______ government, while provinces and territories are ______ -
Answerfederal government
other levels of government
Canada does not, and cannot, have a national health care system because
constitutional responsibility for health care largely rests at the _______ -
Answerprovincial/territorial level
how do provinces decide which health services they will provide? - AnswerCanada
Health Act
When was the Canada Health Act? - Answer1984
What is the Canada Health Act? - AnswerCanada's federal legislation for publicly
funded health care insurance, adopted in 1984
• Sets out the primary objective of Canadian health care policy: "to protect, promote and
restore the physical and mental well-being of residents of Canada and to facilitate
reasonable access to health services without financial or other barriers" •
Establishes criteria and conditions related to insured health services and extended
health care services that the provinces and territories must fulfill to receive the full
federal cash contribution under the Canada Health Transfer
What is the Canada Health Transfer? - AnswerThe transfer of cash from the federal
government to provincial / territorial governments ($42 billion in 2020-2021)
Made on an equal per capita basis
Funds have at times been withheld for violations of the Canada Health Act
What are the 5 conditions that provincial health insurance plans must meet when
delivering health care to receive Canada Health Transfer: - Answer1.
Comprehensiveness
2. Universality
3. Accessibility
4. Portability
5. Public administration
Comprehensiveness - AnswerProvincial insurance plans must insure (i.e., financially
cover) all "insured health services" provided by physicians or within hospitals
, Universality - AnswerProvincial insurance plans must cover 100% of insured health
services for all insured persons under uniform terms and conditions
Accessibility - AnswerProvincial insurance plans must provide insured health services
in a manner that is "reasonably accessible" to all insured persons (e.g., no user charges
or extra billing/fees)
• Must also provide reasonable compensation to its health professionals
Portability - AnswerRequires certain coverage for insured residents when temporarily
out of province, and specifies the waiting period before a resident moving to a new
province/territory is eligible for insured health services (can't exceed 3 months)
Public administration - AnswerProvincial insurance plans must be administered and
operated on a non-profit basis by a public authority (e.g., OHIP - Ontario Health
Insurance Plan)
What is Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) - AnswerGovernment-run health
insurance plan for Ontario
• Pays for a wide range of health services by funding hospitals, by reimbursing
physicians for their services, etc.
• Funded from taxes paid by Ontario residents and businesses, as well as from 'transfer
payments' by the Government of Canada
Taken together, the conditions in the Canada Health Act ensure what is referred to as
_________
Generally referred to as _____ - Answer'universal health care'
Medicare
Extra billing - Answeran amount in addition to the amount paid by the provincial or
territorial health insurance plan
User charges - Answerother charges (for ex. supplies) related to the provision of
insured health services
What are 2 key features of the Canada Health Act? - Answer• Free at the point of care
• Provision of health care based on need, not ability to pay
True or False : Provinces are able to fund health care beyond the requirements of the
Canada Health Act if they so choose - Answertrue
What is 'policy'? - Answerbroad statement of goals, objectives and means that create
the framework for activity. Often takes the form of explicit written documents, but may
also be implicit or unwritten.
"...decisions taken by those with responsibility for a given policy area."
What is 'public policy'? - Answera course of action or inaction chosen by public
authorities to address a given problem. anything the government chooses to do or not.
What is 'health policy'? - Answercourses of action (and inaction) that affect the set of
institutions, organizations, services and funding arrangements of the health and health
care system.
• Policies that have to do with health
• Policies created by health agencies / organizations
• Can be both public and private
What is 'healthy public policy'? - AnswerPublic policies outside of the health sector
"characterized by an explicit concern for health and equity in all areas of policy and by
an accountability for health impact
______ is an activity that organizes or delivers a service or goods to achieve a policy's
objectives. - AnswerProgram
'Policy' vs. 'program' Example: - AnswerPolicy: To reduce # of overdoses and deaths
caused by opioids (e.g., fentanyl)
Program: Ontario Naloxone Program for Pharmacies (free Naloxone kits)
______ is the art or science concerned with guiding or influencing governmental policy -
AnswerPolitics
understanding the _______ of the policy process is arguably as important as
understanding how medicine improves health - AnswerPolitics
When was the Constitution Act? - Answer1867
What is the Constitution Act? - AnswerLaw passed by the British parliament that
created Canada (on Indigenous lands)
As a union, the law specifies the responsibilities of the national (federal) government
and the provinces and territories
,__________ divides authority among levels of government, and intentionally restricts
the powers of the central government - AnswerFederalism
Canada is a ______ government, while provinces and territories are ______ -
Answerfederal government
other levels of government
Canada does not, and cannot, have a national health care system because
constitutional responsibility for health care largely rests at the _______ -
Answerprovincial/territorial level
how do provinces decide which health services they will provide? - AnswerCanada
Health Act
When was the Canada Health Act? - Answer1984
What is the Canada Health Act? - AnswerCanada's federal legislation for publicly
funded health care insurance, adopted in 1984
• Sets out the primary objective of Canadian health care policy: "to protect, promote and
restore the physical and mental well-being of residents of Canada and to facilitate
reasonable access to health services without financial or other barriers" •
Establishes criteria and conditions related to insured health services and extended
health care services that the provinces and territories must fulfill to receive the full
federal cash contribution under the Canada Health Transfer
What is the Canada Health Transfer? - AnswerThe transfer of cash from the federal
government to provincial / territorial governments ($42 billion in 2020-2021)
Made on an equal per capita basis
Funds have at times been withheld for violations of the Canada Health Act
What are the 5 conditions that provincial health insurance plans must meet when
delivering health care to receive Canada Health Transfer: - Answer1.
Comprehensiveness
2. Universality
3. Accessibility
4. Portability
5. Public administration
Comprehensiveness - AnswerProvincial insurance plans must insure (i.e., financially
cover) all "insured health services" provided by physicians or within hospitals
, Universality - AnswerProvincial insurance plans must cover 100% of insured health
services for all insured persons under uniform terms and conditions
Accessibility - AnswerProvincial insurance plans must provide insured health services
in a manner that is "reasonably accessible" to all insured persons (e.g., no user charges
or extra billing/fees)
• Must also provide reasonable compensation to its health professionals
Portability - AnswerRequires certain coverage for insured residents when temporarily
out of province, and specifies the waiting period before a resident moving to a new
province/territory is eligible for insured health services (can't exceed 3 months)
Public administration - AnswerProvincial insurance plans must be administered and
operated on a non-profit basis by a public authority (e.g., OHIP - Ontario Health
Insurance Plan)
What is Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) - AnswerGovernment-run health
insurance plan for Ontario
• Pays for a wide range of health services by funding hospitals, by reimbursing
physicians for their services, etc.
• Funded from taxes paid by Ontario residents and businesses, as well as from 'transfer
payments' by the Government of Canada
Taken together, the conditions in the Canada Health Act ensure what is referred to as
_________
Generally referred to as _____ - Answer'universal health care'
Medicare
Extra billing - Answeran amount in addition to the amount paid by the provincial or
territorial health insurance plan
User charges - Answerother charges (for ex. supplies) related to the provision of
insured health services
What are 2 key features of the Canada Health Act? - Answer• Free at the point of care
• Provision of health care based on need, not ability to pay
True or False : Provinces are able to fund health care beyond the requirements of the
Canada Health Act if they so choose - Answertrue
